Medusa
Medusa was one of the Gorgon sisters in Greek mythology, and one of the many foes encountered by Kratos. Greek Mythology The three Gorgon sisters—'Medusa', Stheno, and Euryale—were children of the ancient marine deities Phorcys (or Phorkys) and his sister Ceto (or Keto), chthonic monsters from an archaic world. Roman poet Ovid depicted Medusa in his poem Metamorphoses as an exceptionally beautiful maiden and a priestess of Athena's Temple. Medusa was greatly admired by many men, both mortal and god. Poseidon, so enamored by Medusa, approached her in the sanctuary of the temple and raped her. Athena would appear before them, catching them in the act. Enraged that her temple had been defiled in such a manner she cursed Medusa, painfully transforming the once beautiful maiden into a grotesque monster who's head was christened with venomous serpents and a face so hideous that one glance would turn anyone who saw her to stone. While she was furious that Poseidon had taken favor of Medusa in her temple, she was not angry with the god of the ocean himself. As a powerful male god, this would be expected of him. In the eyes of Athena, it was Medusa who deserved to be punished. Ovid's depiction of Medusa reflects a society where women were valued as objects in a male-dominated world as the hero Perseus describes Medusa's punishment by Athena as just and well-deserved. God of War During the siege of Athens, she was given the title of Queen of the Gorgons. She and her race are among the armies of Ares, as it is known that Gorgons hated Athena. As Kratos progressed through the ruins of the city, he met Aphrodite, who commanded him to slay Medusa and decapitate her. The hissing Gorgon arose from the shadows and fought with Kratos, who eventually tore her head from her body with his bare hands. Pleased, Aphrodite granted the power of Medusa's Gaze to Kratos, who in turn used it to destroy a group of Minotaurs. Medusa's existence had come to an end, leaving her sisters, Euryale and Stheno, to lead the race of Gorgons until Euryale's death at the hands of Kratos in God of War II. Stheno may appear in the upcoming prequel, God of War: Ascension, this would mean that Medusa was the second queen of the Gorgons and not the first. Powers and Abilities Like the lesser Gorgons, Medusa has the power to turn Kratos to stone with her gaze. She is also faster and more resistant to damage than the other Gorgons, making her that much more deadly. Trivia *In the Character Graveyard feature in God of War it stated that in production Medusa was going to have legs and wings instead of a snake tail much like the Gorgons in Greek mythology. *Originally Gorgons were depicted as human females with snakes for hair and on occasion wings and tusks, but due to the 1981 ''Clash of the Titans ''film, the image of a complete serpentine body was settled in representations of them ever since. **Echidna, another monster in Greek mythology, is far more similar to the Gorgons inspired by Clash of the Titans as she is depicted as half woman, half snake. It is possible this is where the idea of Gorgons having serpentine bodies originated from. *"Medusa" in Greek means "Guardian" or "Protector". *Though her skin color is pinkish/red, her head is green after Kratos beheads her similar to the lesser gorgons. This is probably a design fault and not intentional. Related Pages *Gorgon *Medusa's Gaze *Euryale Gallery M.jpeg|Kratos with Medusa's head. Category:Characters Category:God of War Category:Bosses Category:Monsters Category:Enemies Category:God of War Collection Category:God of War Series Category:God of War:Saga Collection